Nova Scotia Attractions & Resources

Explore three distinctly different coastal areas and four breathtaking scenic trails packed with great attractions to enrich your journey.

The Bay of Fundy

Nowhere else in the world will one find a more extraordinary tidal environment than Nova Scotia's Bay of Fundy where 14 billion tonnes (14 cubic kilometres) of seawater flows into the Bay's Minas Basin twice daily, actually tilting the Nova Scotia countryside slightly under the immense load! Walk the ocean floor and visit the site of the highest recorded high to low tide range in the world at Burncoat Head Park.



Museums

The Glooscap Heritage Centre for Mi’kmaq history and culture. You will be introduced to a variety of stone tools and early weavings, which were fundamental to the survival of the Mi’kmaw people for many generations. As you move throughout the centre you will be able to imagine yourself in a time and place when living off the land’s resources was essential for survival. The ancestors of today’s Mi’kmaq knew the land intimately, its seasons, its animals, its plants and its mineral resources.

The Balmoral Grist Mill where you can see grain ground into flour by water power, or visit the Sutherland Steam Mill, where steam power turns logs into lumber just as it did when the mill was built in 1894.

The Hector Heritage Quay - Relive the way of life and experiences of the Scottish settlers who landed on the shores of Pictou in 1773. Hear the sizzling sounds of the blacksmith's forge and the rhythm of the chisels and mallets of the ship's carpenters. See the site's resident artist Dave MacIntosh at work. Explore the intricacies of the authentic re-creation of the Ship Hector.

Northumberland Fisheries Museum tells the story of fishermen in the area from the 1800's to the present. There are over 1000 Artifacts with new ones arriving daily, Boat Building Models, Rare Live Lobsters, an authentic Fisherman's Bunkhouse, the "Silver Bullet" (a 1930's fishing/racing boat), and many tributes to the local fisher folk. The museum is housed in the old Pictou Train Station which stopped running in the 1950's.

The Museum of Industry - retells the story of industrialization in Nova Scotia through the eyes of the workers. The Museum is home to over 18,000 artifacts. The magnificent Samson, the oldest steam locomotive in Canada, now rests near the track she once worked, the Foord Coal seam, 1,100 feet below the museum site. Visitors punch in their time card to take them back to the mines, factories, railroads, antique cars and locomotives and much more. Interpreters in period costumes add to the mystique and the mystery of the galleries. Interactive displays and model train sets keep the whole family fascinated.

Antigonish Heritage Museum, and Saint Francis Xavier University, which is home to one of North Americas largest collections of Gaelic literature and research.

Whitman House Museum &  Canso Islands National Historic Site.

Guysborough’s Old Court House Museum. African-Canadian Heritage can be found in museums such as the Old Court House in Guysborough County and the Black Cultural Centre in Westphal.

Sherbrooke Village, which depicts life a typical Nova Scotian village from 1860 to pre-World War I. With approximately 80 buildings, over 25 of those open to the public, it is the largest Nova Scotia Museum Site. Built on an economy of shipbuilding, lumbering and gold mining, Sherbrooke Village reflects Nova Scotia as it was during its golden age.

Visit the animals at Cole Harbour Heritage Farm Museum or Shubenacadie Wildlife Park

Memory Lane Heritage Village, a brilliantly recreated rural community from the 1940s. Almost all of the buildings were rescued from around the community, lovingly restored and moved to Memory Lane.

Fishermans Life Museum - Perhaps the best example of what life was like for the average fishermans family in the early 20th century is the. It was once home to a fisherman, his wife and their 13 daughters.

Rail museums are doted around our area in Tatamagouche, Stellarton and the
Musquodoboit Railway Museum a converted Canadian National train station.

Airplane buffs should be sure to visit the Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum and the Shearwater Aviation Museum

Beaches

Melmerby Beach. The "Merb" has a 2 km sandy shore and the warmest waters you'll find north of the Carolinas. There are two sides to this glorious beach: a broader outer side and a narrow inner beach with water so warm you'll feel like you are in the world's largest bathtub. Sandcastles, rolling waves, gentle breezes, walks along a winding boardwalk and starry skies set the stage for fun-filled days or romantic evenings.

Lawrencetown Beach The fact that 50 per cent of all tropical storms and hurricanes pass through the waters of Nova Scotia creates exceptional surfing conditions. Probably the most popular destination is, where strong currents make it ideally suited for experienced surfers

Martinique Beach At 5km/3.1mi is Nova Scotia’s longest sand beach, and one of the most popular. The gentle surf, scalloped coves and rocky outcroppings are a great backdrop for relaxation or exploring.

Parks & Hiking Trails

Taylor Head Provincial Park, Many people consider the park’s 15km/9.3mi of trails to be among the finest coastal trail systems found anywhere on North America’s eastern seaboard.

Arisaig Provincial Park where you can explore the 3km/1.86mi of trails at the, which culminate in a beautiful waterfall. Two other great provincial parks are located at

Five Islands & Cape Chignecto Provincial Parks

Trenton Steeltown Park Six km of trails and over 60 acres of hemlock and birch trees whispers the secrets of a century past and is a nature lover's dreamscape.

Fitzpatrick Mountain Trail is a well-groomed 8 km trail extending from Scotsburn to Millsville. This non-motorized trail is ideal for hikers and skiers, and passes through alternating stands of hardwood and softwood and traverses several streams.

Port Bickerton Lighthouse Beach Park is home to two lighthouses a fully automated, modern lighthouse, and one from 1919, which serves as the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Interpretive Centre. And youll find a working lighthouse at Cape George that offers dramatic coastal views of St. Georges Bay from an elevation of about 1000 feet.

Fossils

Search for fossils stones and dinosaur bones and visit the Fundy Geological Museum and the world famous Joggins Fossil Cliffs. Visit Arisaig in Antigonish County home to fascinating fossils that predate these settlers by about four million years. Youll find these fossils in the sedimentary rock along the shores of Arisaig Provincial Park, along with interpretive displays that tell you how the fossils formed, and what to look for as you stroll along the well-groomed trails. Try comparing your footprint to a 290 million year old amphibian at the Brule Fossil Centre near Tatamagouche

Travel Information

Nova Scotia is located in Canada, on the upper east coast of North America, lying between the provinces of New Brunswick (in the west) and Newfoundland (in the northeast).  [View Nova Scotia Locator Map]

How do I get there ?

Via Air
Nova Scotia is easily accessable by Air, Sea or Land. Check out all our airline options by clicking here

An international airport is located just outside the capital city of Halifax.  There is also an airport located in Sydney which services the island of Cape Breton.

Ferry
Several ferry services operate in Nova Scotia, offering connection to the United States eastern seaboard (Bar Harbour and Portland, Maine), and New Brunswick (Saint John), Prince Edward Island (Wood Islands) and Newfoundland (Port Aux Basques and Argentia).
 

• Yarmouth is the terminal for the high speed ferry The Cat, operating from Bar Harbor, Maine to Yarmouth (4 days a week early and late season, 3 days a week mid-summer) and from Portland, Maine to Yarmouth (3 days a week early and late season, 4 days a week mid-summer). Regular bus service links Yarmouth to Halifax.

• Digby is the terminal for the car ferry from Saint John, New Brunswick. Buses depart daily to Halifax.Caribou/Pictou is the terminal for ferries which arrive daily from Wood Islands, Prince Edward Island, between May 1 and mid-December. Highway 106 leads from the ferry terminal to the Pictou Rotary and the Northumberland Shore.

• North Sydney is the terminal of the ferry service from Port-aux-Basques and Argentia, Newfoundland. North Sydney is at the eastern end of Trans Canada Highway 105.

Highway
Nova Scotia is connected to mainland Canada at the New Brunswick border.  Travelling the Trans Canada Highway east from New Brunswick will enter Nova Scotia in the Amherst area... from here it is roughly a 2.5 - 3 hour drive to the capital city of Halifax.

Train
Passenger rail service is provided by VIA Rail, with stations in Truro and Halifax.

Visitor Information Centres

There are  Visitor Information Centres located throughout Nova Scotia, staffed by travel counsellors who will help you with travel information and literature (brochures, maps, guides, etc).  There are also Nova Scotia Visitor Information Centres located in both Portland and Bar Harbor, Maine.  Just f ollow the Question Mark ( ? ) signs!

Drop into our visitor information centres in the following areas when touring in our areas.

Glooscap Trail

• Masstown

• Elmsdale (Halifax International Airport - Year Round)

• Joggins

• Maitland

• Parrsboro

• River Hebert

• Springhill

• Stewiacke

• Truro (Year Round - look for the 40' high statue of Glooscap)
  

Sunrise Trail

• Amherst (Year Round - Provincial)
  

• Antigonish

• New Glasgow

• Oxford

• Pictou (Provincial)

• Pugwash

• River John

• Sutherland’s River

• Tatamagouche

• Tidnish

• Wallace

• Westville (Rest Area exit 21, hwy 104)

Marine Drive

• Canso

• Eastern Passage

• Guysborough

• Sherbrooke

• Middle Musquodoboit

• Musquodoboit Harbour

• Sheet Harbour

• Mulgrave